Advisor Highlight: Christopher Rine
A Philanthropic Approach to Client Gifts
As an independent financial advisor, Christopher Rine has taken a fresh approach to client engagement, incorporating philanthropy into what were once traditional client gifts, transforming them into something meaningful and deepening client relationships while making a positive difference in the community.
With a career spanning 23 years at Morgan Stanley in Southern California and Kaua‘i, Rine opened his own practice, Mālama Wealth, in Līhuʻe five years ago. His philosophy and approach to financial planning for his clients centers on more than just wealth management.
“It's not just about managing their money,” he explains. “It's about understanding their values and helping ensure their wealth has a lasting impact on what’s most important to them.”
Rine’s practice focuses on primarily preserving wealth through active financial planning and strategic portfolio management for his neighbors and their families, mom and pop businesses, and long-time clients. For Rine, connecting with a family’s core beliefs can be the key to building lasting client relationships.
One approach to fostering these connections is through Mālama Wealth’s philanthropic birthday gift program. Rather than sending branded merchandise, Rine’s team makes a donation to a cause aligned with each client’s passions, partnering with HCF to make it possible.
“It really started back in my Morgan Stanley days,” recalls Rine. “We had a budget to spend on client gifts, but it was branded stuff that didn’t really resonate in any meaningful way.”
With the help of his office manager, Kimberly Hitchcock, he shifted from branded logo gifts to something more meaningful, asking “What’s important to [our clients]?” Hitchcock reached out to HCF’s senior director of gift planning and advisor relations Jen-L Lyman and Kaua‘i- based philanthropy advisor, Robin Pratt, to build a framework for donating the cash equivalent of their client gift amount to a fund at HCF. The team worked closely to collaborate on a solution that would benefit everyone—Rine, his clients, and the community.
As a result, Rine has made monthly contributions to various existing funds at HCF on behalf of his clients, including the Maui Strong Fund, the Arts & Culture Fund, and the Health & Wellness Fund. The donation amounts vary based on how many clients are celebrating a birthday in any given month—some months it could be 11, other months perhaps 5.
After each donation, HCF sends a personalized email to Rine’s clients explaining that, in honor of their birthday, their dedicated wealth advisor, Christopher Rine of Mālama Wealth, made a generous donation to one of HCF’s funds.
“Working with HCF made it so much easier,” Rine explains. “Each month we send them a list of the recipients, and HCF takes care of the rest. We now spend less time worrying about coming up with a thoughtful and creative token of appreciation and more on understanding our client’s passions. This allows us to express our thanks on their special day in a more meaningful and impactful way.”
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. His clients appreciate receiving an email from HCF thanking them for a donation directed to causes close to their hearts.
The gifts through HCF serve as a catalyst for deeper conversations with Rine’s clients about their values and long-term goals. “It really opens up a dialogue about what’s important to them and where they want their money to go next,” he notes. “That’s crucial if you want to build a lasting relationship and help clients create a meaningful legacy.”
For fellow professional advisors, Rine recommends working with HCF as a way to streamline client giving while fostering more intimate client relationships. “Working with HCF has been a piece of cake,” he says. “Demonstrating your connection to the community helps cement the relationship, showing clients you understand who they are and what’s important to them.”
Rine’s approach to philanthropy exemplifies how something as simple as a thoughtful gift can enrich client relationships and create positive ripple effects far beyond a single gesture.
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